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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25322758">Breathe me</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mon_dieu/pseuds/mon_dieu'>mon_dieu</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types, Romeo e Giulietta - Ama e Cambia il Mondo, Romeo et Juliette - Presgurvic, Rómeó és Júlia (Színház)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Hanahaki Disease, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kinda, Light Angst, M/M, Mention of Death, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Pre-Canon, Set before the actual plot, Unrequited Love, Vendettas</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:40:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,090</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25322758</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mon_dieu/pseuds/mon_dieu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>“Someone asked me what home was and all I could think of were the stars on the tip of your tongue, the flowers sprouting from your mouth, the roots entwined in the gaps between your fingers, the ocean echoing inside of your ribcage.”</i> - E. E. Cummings</p><p>Mercutio finds himself struggling to breathe, and it gets worse every time a certain dark-haired Capulet is nearby. When Mercutio stands between a flowery death and confessing his feelings for his worst enemy, will his pride be the end of him? </p><p>//Set before the actual plot of the play/musical//</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mercutio/Tybalt (Romeo and Juliet)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Breathe me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>*Set in a universe where Hanahaki disease is fairly common, and said disease is cured by both parties falling in love and confessing their love for one another.*<br/>**While writing this I pictured the actors from the RetJ 2010 French cast, but feel free to insert whomever in their place.**</p><p>I couldn't sleep so I wrote this instead. For a bonus point, see if you can notice where I was starting to get really sleepy based on the quality of my writing. It should be visible, considering this is unbetaed.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/><p> </p><p>Mercutio noticed his lungs tightening up every time he spent any time with The Prince of Cats. Every time Tybalt entered a room, he felt himself start to choke. It had never been easy to be around the dark-haired Capulet, as it usually ended in a fight, but over the past weeks everything was changing.</p><p>Considering Tybalt was the sworn enemy of his best friend, he knew where his alliances were supposed to lie, but he could not help it. The cruelty of his smile, the graceful way he moved, his skill as a duellist. Tybalt was intriguing. In several of their duels and altercations in their youth, Tybalt had promised to be the death of him. How right he would prove to be. Mercutio had not expected the little death Tybalt brought him to start with him coughing up the petal of a red rose as he was leaving a swordfight with a certain Capulet.</p><p>Mercutio looked around, praying the other man had left before he heard him cough. Flaunting your weakness to your enemy was never a good thing. To Mercutio’s horror Tybalt had stopped to clean his blade, close enough to hear.</p><p> </p><p>"Feeling faint are we, Escalus? Did I go too hard on you?" That dreadful boasting tone in his voice was too evident. Mercutio could hear his smile. He coughed again, another petal.</p><p>"Oh don't worry about me, I just hope whatever I have that I'm contagious. For your sake anyway." Mercutio feigned a smirk and shoved the petals in the pocket of his jacket. He heard Tybalt's steps moving in his direction.</p><p>What if he saw them? Hanahaki disease was not the most uncommon, and just recently someone within Verona’s walls had passed from it. Nobody knew until a passer-by discovered a body covered in chrysanthemums. Tybalt’s fingers caressed down his arm and he moved closer until he is standing right in front of him.</p><p> </p><p>"Gross. Well unless you have developed feelings for me, let's hope it's something not too taxing on your body. I prefer my best enemy to be healthy and fit to fight. It's no fun to beat you if you can't fight back." Tybalt lifted his hand to caress his cheek, and Mercutio did everything in his power not to lean into his touch.</p><p>"Please, the only feelings I have towards you are disgust and the thrill of the fight." Mercutio tried to forget the slight stutter in his voice. He felt a tickle in his throat but tried to remain calm. "The only thing I want is to be your destruction."</p><p> </p><p>"Good boy. I don't want to hear about you disappearing and someone discovering your petal-covered corpse. While poetic, it sounds like a miserable way to go." Tybalt put his hand under Mercutio's chin, forcing him to look up at him. Tybalt had his usual cruel smile plastered on, but there was something different about him. You could see the worry in his eyes, which was something he had never seen before. Pity, perhaps, but worry? Never.</p><p>"You seem awfully caught up in the floral affliction. Maybe I'm the one that should worry about finding a corpse covered in petals. It wouldn't be a suitably violent end for Tybalt Capulet, now would it?" Mercutio could tell his teasing was doing something, because his brow furrowed, if just for a moment. Then he saw him chuckle.</p><p>"Oh really? Not violent enough? Coughing up petals doesn't suit Mercutios need for violent delights and subsequent deaths?" Mercutio's smile faded. "It sounds pretty violent if you ask me. Nature is generally crueller than people are. Nature is cruel because you know you can never find a reasoning behind it. At least if my blade pierced your lungs you can guess the intention. "</p><p> </p><p>Mercutio’s breathing stopped for a slow second. He was too close; this was all too close. He could practically hear Tybalt's heart beating, and it was all too much. He turned away to cough, and in his hand landed a red rose petal. He cursed internally because there was no way Tybalt missed that. Given the conversation topic, he guessed Tybalt saw the others as well.</p><p>"Looks like nature beat your blade to the stab. Mother nature has dealt me a cruel hand, by making me act like this around my fiercest foe."</p><p> </p><p>The young Capulet gasped. He picked up the petal and examined it. There was a drop of blood clinging to the petal, which Mercutio had failed to notice.</p><p>"Red roses, my favourite. How ironic. Here I thought some beauty had charmed her way into your heart and I was about to lose you for good. How devastatingly wrong I was. Almost all our interactions are rooted in violence, so how has this happen to you my darling Mercutio?"</p><p>"Looks like my life is in your hands, yet again. Although I would usually rather die than admit you have the upper hand." His face was held in Tybalt's hand, but he broke free, looking away to save himself some embarrassment. "It would appear that none of Verona's beauties could measure up to that fiery anger you exude whenever you see me. What does that say about me?" </p><p> </p><p>Tybalt stood there in stunned silence. Instead of speaking he gestured for Mercutio to look at him and kissed him softly. Mercutio had assumed his kiss would be as violent as the rest of him, but it was a sort of heavenly softness that made him relax into the Capulet's arms. He knew they were truly alone, because Tybalt Capulet would never allow himself to be perceived as soft. It was not their first kiss, as they had shared a couple while they were stuck in a fight, and Mercutio needed a surprise tactic. Yet this kiss was different. He felt Tybalt place his hand in Mercutio’s hair, almost like he needed an anchor to the present. He was begging for this not to be another trick, he begged that he was not being lulled into a false sense of security.</p><p> </p><p>"Perhaps, like me, you have never the desired the tepid love we see in our families. That lackluster love that inspires nothing but allegiance and frustration. We share anger and fury, but maybe with that comes passion. That passion and fury is all we have left, as the familial bonds of allegiance rob us of everything else?" Tybalt put his arm around Mercutio's waist, holding him close. Mercutio let his arms hold around Tybalt's shoulders, leaning into the other man's touch. It was the only way for him to hide his face.</p><p>"Oh, how I crave your passion, I could hardly live without it. But what becomes of Mercutio Escalus then? Am I just going to be another whore to the family of Capulet? Am I going to surrender my allegiance to the enemies of my friends? They are as close as my kinsmen to me, how could I do this?" Mercutio whispered into his ear. "A non-metaphorical stab to the heart would have felt kinder."</p><p>He was unsure whether he spoke about himself or his Montague friends in the end. Was there a difference? He coughed and three more petals left his lungs.</p><p> </p><p>"We could hardly wed, but I am not inclined to call you my whore in any public setting. Yet I desire to aid you through this illness; it's a challenge of the highest nature. Would your friends not want you alive, even if that meant betraying them?"</p><p>"I cannot promise they would." He laughed without mirth in his voice. Even Romeo and Benvolio, who were directly opposed to continuing the blood feud knew they could never publicly renounce it. While Mercutio could technically choose either side, or none at all, but he knew their friendship would suffer if he was seen consorting with a Capulet. He stepped back, out of Tybalt's embrace. He immediately missed the feeling of their closeness. "The blooms have forced me to reveal my heart in the most mortifying way, yet here I stand, not knowing what you feel."</p><p>Tybalt gave an almost offended snort in return.</p><p> </p><p>"After all that, do you really not know? If I felt nothing, wouldn't I have used this as an opportunity to mock and ruin you emotionally? I'm not exactly known for my compassion." Tybalt lowered one brow to look at him condescendingly.</p><p>"I'm aware I would never live it down if you were acting like your usual malicious self, but would it kill you to tell me with your words? One of us has a death sentence hanging over them, and it's not you." Mercutio was practically begging him. ‘<em>I know it’s an impossible situation, but I need you to tell me you love me. That will make this torment easier.</em>’ He tried to say the words, but he could not get them out.</p><p> </p><p>“You know I struggle to express my emotions,” Mercutio gave him a stern look after that statement. “but if it helps you avoid a death that involves coughing up bloodied flowers I will.” Tybalt took a deep breath and closed his eyes. It was evident that this was difficult for him, so Mercutio was willing to be patient - to a point. He started coughing again, the pain was worsening. It had been building up for a while, but it really culminated today. He knew that if Tybalt could not show romantic feelings for him, he had but days left. For that reason, he really hoped Tybalt loved him. He knew it would not suffice if Tybalt simply wanted him to continue living so he could have swordfights with him or what have you, it needed to be real love. It might just be less complicated to die, but that might just be his personal infatuation talking.</p><p> </p><p>“I have feelings for you, whether it be passion or love or general frustration I do not know, but I have been infatuated with you for a number of years. You fascinate me, make me want to wake up in the morning, because I know there will never be a dull day in Verona as long as Mercutio Escalus resides here. So, in short, I suppose I love you.” Tybalt opened his eyes slowly, as if he were afraid of what he would see when he opened them.</p><p>It was Mercutio’s turn to be stunned into silence, his mouth hanging open. He had merely expected a quick ‘<em>iloveyou</em>’ that he hoped would solve the issue. He never would have guessed Tybalt’s feelings ran that deep, perhaps that was the intention. He knew he had to respond, but he struggled to find his voice. He coughed, feeling yet another petal materialize in his mouth, and he took a deep breath. He tried to find his usual bravado, but it was proving difficult.</p><p>“I- I love you too. You make life more thrilling, my Prince of Cats. While I have no solution for what we should do about our feelings, I know they are there.” He swallowed, his throat feeling better already. Mercutio leaned his forehead to Tybalt’s. For a moment, all they could do was stand there.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you feeling better?” Tybalt asked, waiting for Mercutio’s nod. “Good. Don’t do that to me again.” Tybalt’s gaze was as serious as the grave. He must have been rattled, Mercutio thought.</p><p>“So, what do we do now?” Mercutio asked, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of their situation.</p><p>He was tempted to just go; ‘<em>Haha, the mighty Tybalt has a crush on me. Oh, what a loser, falling in love with someone close with his mortal enemy.</em>’ but he was trying not to act childish for once, so he let it slide. He could bully him about it later, the moment was still too tender.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean, I have a perfectly fine bed waiting for us at home?” Tybalt winked at him. Apparently, the tender moment had passed, Mercutio thought. He sighed and started laughing, He definitely had some nervous energy he wanted to get rid off before he settled in for the night, so he might as well.</p><p>“Won’t it look suspicious, if anyone sees you bringing me to your apartments?” Mercutio smirked, tilting his head.</p><p>“If any of the servants see you, and decide they want to gossip, I’ll kill them myself. It will be fine anyway, it’s not like you’re a Montague. Now that would really have been a scandal.” Tybalt shrugged and started walking. “Are you coming, Escalus?”</p><p>“Oh, I certainly hope I will be.” </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>If requested, I can make this a series. As of now, this is a standalone fic.<br/>If you have any thoughts or observations feel free to share them with me in the comments. Feel free to point out spelling or grammatical errors, as English is not my mother tongue.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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